St. Ann police defend conduct, after arrest is caught on video

ST. ANN, MO – Tuesday afternoon the St. Ann Police Department broke the window of a sedan that was wanted for a traffic violation out of St. Peters Missouri and pulled a male passenger from the car.

The incident started in St. Peters when an officer attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic citation at I-70 eastbound and I-370. Upon checking the license plate on the vehicle, the officer discovered a warrant in connection to the car, and the driver failed to stop.

According to the St. Peters Police Department, the vehicle was not pursued and information on the vehicle was broadcasted to surrounding agencies.

An officer from the St. Ann Police Department spotted the vehicle and pursued the car. Once the vehicle stopped the officer along with additional back-up commanded the 3 persons in the vehicle to exit.

According to St. Ann police one person did not comply, refusing to raise his hands, unlock the door or open the window. Video taken by a bystander shows a man in the passenger front seat with his hands up. A detective on the scene standing next to the vehicle then smashes the passenger front window with his forearm and dragged the man out of the vehicle.

The department stated that because of the danger to officers and the public at large, the use of force was necessary to ensure safety.

The man was placed on the ground face down, handcuffed and taken into custody. All 3 persons in the vehicle were checked for weapons. It is unknown if any weapons were found or if the other 2 passengers were taken into custody.

Police say the man in custody was not abused, kicked or punched at any time.

According to a Facebook post on the incident, no one was injured, and no damage was incurred on any other vehicles.